Hundreds of protestors wearing 'Stop Badger Culls' badges were lined up outside the High Court yesterday and stripped of their badges.
A judge upheld a Government proposal for two pilot culls to tackle outbreaks of NTBC (No To Badger Culls) in London.
The highly controversial scheme could eventually lead to further badge culling, even up North. It could also extend to NTBC banners, emblazoned T-shirts, and even tattoos.
The judge's decision was a blow for the Badge Trust, which said that England now faced the prospect of 40,000 badges being "needlessly ripped" from those who like a bit of wild life.
Many protestors are planning to go underground for a while, with the intention of coming up with a new protest slogan for their badges. Someone has already suggested 'Stop Badge Culls', but not all members of the Badge Trust agree.
"Many of us have been really keen 'badgers' for years," said one veteran enthusiast, " and we don't want to be eliminated. So let's stick with the original badge slogan."